Over at CeBIT, Vodafone's taking a hybrid approach to the problem of mobile VoIP. Its prototype Starfish service promises to give cell callers a Skype presence by letting them dial into a gateway that bridges the call onto an IP network. Presence is handled via a GPRS connection. (Vodafone is a GSM service, unlike its partly owned U.S. company, Verizon Wireless.) Vodafone likes the service because it doesn't require downloaded software, it's available anywhere there's a GSM signal, it claims better voice quality than WiFi VoIP, and they can bill for the airtime. For Vodafone, sounds like a win.
For more about Vodafone's Starfish:
- read this article [1] from PC World
Related Articles:
Vodafone goes FMC in NZ. Report [2]
Vodafone to block VoIP services? Report [3]
Links:
[1] http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129900-c,cellphones/article.html
[2] http://www.fiercevoip.com/story/vodafone-goes-fmc-in-nz/2006-06-27
[3] http://www.fiercevoip.com/story/vodafone-to-block-voip-services/2006-04-13